“John, please, let me.” The short little thing in her quaint and completely unstylish uniform put a hand on the man’s arm.
She came close enough to whisper to Esmerelda. “I’m sure you don’t want to make a scene, Esmerelda, and embarrass yourself. That isn’t proper for a young lady. Now, why don’t we just go on and enjoy our ride?”
“What would you know of society rules, Miss Botany Expert? I don’t have to listen to you, and I’ll make a scene if I wish to make a scene.”
Miss Hale stepped back and gave her a sad look. “Well, we are ready to go, and we do have a schedule to keep.”
“I’m not going with you.” Esmerelda crossed her arms over her chest.
“That’s fine. But Miss Hale is your only option, and Mr. Bradley will not hear any complaints about the scheduling when the excursion you requested has been offered. This is your only choice.” The man named John held a firm tone to his voice.
It might be her only choice for the moment, but Esmerelda didn’t have to let these people tell her what to do. Fury burned through her. She wanted Thomas.
And Thomas she would have. She never lost. She wasn’t about to start now.
24
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26
Avoiding Emerson hadn’t been as difficult as Tayler had imagined. For one thing, her schedule was jam-packed. For another, he was a guest and she was staff. A fact she’d pointed out to him twice already. As dinner rolled around, she went down the staircase to the staff dining room. In here she felt safe. It wasn’t a domain that Emerson was welcome in, and she loved that fact. But the thought still niggled at the back of her mind about his words. What could he possibly have to tell her about Joshua?
Gazing around the room, Tayler thanked the Lord for putting these people in her life. She’d been told by numerous members of the staff that as soon as Emerson had told them he was her fiancé, they went into protective mode. He’d been so pushy and all fired up about finding her that most of the people realized something was up.
Another reason to realize that God had brought her here for this specific time to these specific people. She needed them. For an independent person to admit such a thing astounded her, but God had done a lot in her life lately. She shouldn’t be surprised.
Mr. Bradley entered the dining room and headed straight for her. “I’m sure you can guess who this is from. He asked me to deliver it to you.”
Heat filled her face—the embarrassment of Emerson using the manager that way. “You don’t need to do anything for him, Mr. Bradley. Emerson needs to give up and go home.”
“He’s a paying guest, so I do need to treat him like I would any other guest, Miss Hale, along with providing the amenities the others enjoy . . . but it is also encouraging to hear that you aren’t planning to leave. We’ve had an extraordinary season so far with you on board, and I don’t plan on letting you go that easily. Besides, I heard that you know how to ski. We’re going to need you this winter.” He gave her a smile and went to his seat at the head of the table.
Many of the others began to take their seats, and Tayler took that moment to open the envelope while no one sat next to her. She pulled out a small piece of paper and read:
My Dearest Tayler,
I’m not sure what game you are playing, but it really is getting tiresome. You have no need to be a part of the working class. Good heavens, what your mother would think if she saw you dining in the basement with them! Tomorrow evening, you will join me for dinner upstairs. Like civilized people of our station. Then we can discuss why you are hesitant to return home. I’m willing to listen to your reasons and wait a few days if necessary. Before you think about refusing, remember that there are things about your family you don’t know. It’s time for the truth to come out.
Yours always and forever,
Emerson
Food began to travel around the table, and she realized she’d missed the prayer. Shaking her head, she couldn’t believe Emerson’s newfound attention to their relationship. Or his domineering way of ordering her around. That wasn’t like him. But that note was full of demands. And what sounded like a veiled threat. There must be something behind it. She just didn’t know what. At least not yet.
She took another glance at the letter and decided then and there that she wouldn’t even acknowledge it with a response. He could wait for her at dinner for all she cared. Tayler Grace Hale wouldn’t kowtow to his whims. She tucked the paper back in the envelope and then shoved it in her pocket.
Thomas pulled out the chair next to her. “Penny for your thoughts.”
“You do not want to know what’s going through my mind right now.”
He laughed. “Ah . . . I see the steam coming out of your ears. Must have something to do with Mr. Pruitt, I presume?”
She groaned. “Yes. But I am so grateful for everyone here. I’ve been constantly surrounded and protected. I can’t tell you the last time I felt so . . . so . . .”
“Loved?” Cassidy piped in. She reached across the table and patted Tayler’s hand as she held one of the boys on her left hip.
Tayler nodded. “You know. Yes, that’s it. Like a family should.”
“Good. Because that’s how we want you to feel.” She settled into her chair and put a sleepy-looking Jonathon in his seat next to her. “Sorry we’re late. The boys didn’t get their naps, so they’re cranky. And when they are cranky, we are late.”
“We’re late when they’re in a good mood,” Allan said as he approached with David in tow.
Cassidy shrugged. “I feel like we’re always late to everything with these two.”
Tayler watched Cassidy care for her son as Allan placed David in his seat. No one minded that they were late. The table was huge, with room for all the staff, and everyone was welcoming. They all chatted as they ate and discussed their days and some of the antics of the guests.
Allan didn’t hesitate to get started. Tayler noticed that parenting twins meant you had to eat and drink as fast as you could in between watching the toddlers like a hawk. He took a bite of his chicken with creamed spinach and pointed his fork in her direction. “So, Tayler, I hate to tell you this, but a certain someone managed to sign up for two of your events tomorrow. The hike up Deadhorse Hill and the lecture on the wild flowers.”
Moaning, she leaned back in her seat and slouched. Had Mother seen it, she would have scolded Tayler until a month of Sundays had passed, but she didn’t care. “I was wondering how long it would take him to figure out how to see me.”
Cassidy gave her a smile. “Just be yourself, Tayler. But there’s no problem in ignoring his advances. He’s a guest and that’s it.” She took a drink of water. “Who knows? Maybe he will actually get the hint after a few days and decide on his own that it’s best to leave.”
If only things would be that easy. But Tayler feared there was no chance of that. Emerson didn’t seem willing to give up this time. Which was a bit unnerving.
“I’ll be on the hike with you.” Thomas leaned toward her. “I’ll see if I can keep him away.”
His words made a little chill race up her arms. If Thomas was trying to keep Emerson away, that meant he would be with her . . . next to her . . . all day. Even in the midst of this turmoil, she looked forward to it.
“And I’ll be along for the lecture.” Allan nodded.
“How are you two managing this? You both have your own schedules that are quite full already.” A twinge of guilt hit her chest.
“We won’t be able to keep it up for the long-term, but we’ve devised a system for now.” Allan winked at his wife.
“And you don’t need to worry about it. We’ve got it under control.” The nearness of Thomas as he spoke made her smile. He leaned closer and whispered, “I’d really love to take a walk with you tonight, but I’m afraid that your admirer will try to follow us.”
She smiled into his eyes. “You’re probably right, but I appreciate the thought.”
“We’ll get through this, Tayl
er.”
Nodding at him, she believed it. Especially since he’d said we.
FRIDAY, JUNE 28
The redhead he’d watched the past couple of days came out of the hotel.
Emerson had left her a note, and he hoped that his plan would work.
Tayler had become adept at ignoring him and making it impossible to talk privately. It was quite annoying. So he’d made a decision. If she was going to continue to play her little game, he would up the stakes. Time wasn’t something he had in abundance. Sometimes someone just needed a little . . . push.
As soon as the young woman spotted him, he jerked his head toward the suspension bridge and walked to the meeting place.
The evening was getting on in hours, even though the sun didn’t show it. Most of the good folks were tired from their days filled with activities and excursions, and there wasn’t anyone else outside on the lawns that he could see. Good.
A few minutes later they met in the middle of the bridge. It would be very difficult for anyone to eavesdrop on their conversation here.
She gave him a flirtatious smile and leaned her hip toward him in a seductive manner. “How can I help you, Mr. Pruitt?” She tapped the note up against her hand.
“I believe we can help each other, Miss Lancaster.”
“Oh?”
“I understand you have a little competition going on with your friends.”
She frowned at him. “How did you—”
He held up a hand. “That’s not of consequence. But you winning your competition could help me greatly. So I have a plan.”
After he whispered a few things to her, she stood back and put her hands on her hips. “Why do you want her?”
“She’s worth a large fortune, that’s why.”
“Seriously? That uniform-wearing botanist?” She turned to the water. “Well, even if she is rich, she isn’t very congenial. It seems to me a handsome man such as yourself would rather have a woman who’s willing to show you . . . special attention.”
“Who said that I’m not looking for that too? I only said she was worth a large fortune. . . .” He let the sentence hang. From what he’d observed of the bored socialite, he knew exactly how far he could push. She wanted to win. Always. And she was bored. Always. And she liked to break every rule she could to get what she wanted. A lot like the flapper girls he knew in the city. He let a finger trail down her arm before turning to look at the water as well.
“So do we have a deal?”
“You need to make this worth my while, Mr. Pruitt. And I’m not just talking about winning my little bet. I want . . . compensation . . . and while we’re at it, let’s talk about your own family fortune. What are you planning to do for me long-term? A girl has needs, you know. And I need substantial promises of . . . fun . . . for the future. Not my parents’ type of fun either. I’m a modern girl after all.” She sidled up next to him and rubbed her body up against him. It was obvious she wasn’t new at this type of game.
She leaned close and whispered things in his ear. Things that would make his own mother blush. Modern girl indeed. This was a long-term attachment he could deal with.
He nodded to her.
“It will be fun . . . and I’m always looking to have fun.” She stared at him until he looked at her, ensuring that he got her hint. Yep, she was a pro.
Then she walked away.
Emerson couldn’t help admiring the young woman as she did so. If he weren’t so busy trying to get Tayler, he’d have a little fling with that one on the side right now. But there’d be plenty of time for that soon enough. Esmerelda had made herself quite clear.
Looked like his future wasn’t going to be so boring after all. They were all about to have a lot of fun.
SATURDAY, JUNE 29
Thomas took three stairs at a time to make it to Mr. Bradley’s office. The young messenger had told him to hurry and so he did.
Taking a deep breath, Thomas straightened his jacket and knocked on the door.
Mr. Bradley opened it, his complexion ashen. An expression Thomas had never seen covered his face. “Come in, Thomas. Thank you for coming so quickly.”
Thomas stepped into the room, and the manager closed the door behind him. John and Allan stood against the far wall, their faces grim.
“Thomas . . .” Mr. Bradley rubbed his head. “I don’t know quite where to begin, but I need to ask you a few questions.”
He felt his brow furrow. “Of course. Anything, sir.”
“Have you been sneaking off at night with one of the guests?”
“Of course not.” Where was this coming from?
“So you’re telling me you haven’t been outside walking in the evenings?”
“No. I mean, yes, I’ve been out walking, but I haven’t been sneaking off with anyone.”
The manager sighed and looked to the other two men.
Allan stepped forward. “Thomas, I know you’ve talked about taking walks later in the evening and that you spend that time praying. Is that still true?”
“Yes.” Thomas tried to swallow past the lump in his throat. The air around him was charged with foreboding. “What does this have to do with anything?”
“Gentlemen, I think it’s best to just come out and say it.” John walked over to Thomas and put his hands on Thomas’s shoulders. “Thomas, you know I love you as if you were my own son.”
All Thomas could do was nod.
John squeezed and then let his arms drop to his sides. “But there’s been a serious accusation leveled against you. None of us want to believe it, but we have to investigate.”
His brows shot up. “What?” He choked out the word. “What is the accusation?”
John Ivanoff—the first man to truly mentor him and show him what it meant to be a godly man—looked to Allan and then Mr. Bradley. “That you’ve been sneaking off at night with Miss Esmerelda Lancaster and that she now believes herself to be in the family way.”
The words dropped into the room like a lead cannon ball and exploded.
Feeling light-headed, Thomas stepped to a chair and grabbed the back of it. “Why? Why . . . would she even think to accuse me of this?”
“Are you saying there is no truth to it?” Mr. Bradley was stern.
“No, sir. No truth at all. I adamantly deny this. I’ve never been . . . never ever been . . . intimate with a woman. Never in my life, sir. And that’s the God’s honest truth. I can’t believe she would make up this falsehood! Especially after she’s been chasing me practically all summer and flirting and trying to get me alone.” He couldn’t stand on his shaky legs any longer. Thomas rounded the chair and sat down hard. Putting his head in his hands, he felt hot tears spring to his eyes.
“I believe you, Thomas.” The manager leaned back on his desk. “But we have a serious situation on our hands. We need to discuss how we are going to handle this and try to keep the rumors at bay. The parents have agreed to keep this quiet for right now—out of respect for their daughter’s reputation.”
“Reputation? Forgive me, Mr. Bradley, but it seems it’s my reputation that’s on the line here. And I haven’t done what I’ve been accused of doing. She could ruin me!”
“That’s what I’m trying to avoid, Thomas.”
“We all are,” Allan added.
“But there’s a big dilemma here. The parents believe their daughter is telling them the truth . . . and they are insisting that you marry their daughter immediately.”
25
SUNDAY, JUNE 30
The drizzling rain and cold temperatures tried to convince Tayler that it wasn’t almost July. She’d put on an extra sweater this morning knowing that the walk to church would be cold, but now she wished she’d grabbed her heavy coat. Shivering from head to toe, she climbed the steps to the little white church.
“Tayler!” Cassidy’s voice made her turn.
“TayTay,” the boys chanted.
It made her smile. But the look on Cassidy’s face made her think of impe
nding doom. “What’s wrong, Cassidy?”
Her friend had a toddler on each hip and ran toward her.
Tayler looked for Allan but he wasn’t anywhere to be found. “What is it?” Her heart pounded in her chest.
“We need to talk, right away.”
“All right, do we need to go into the church?”
“No. Why don’t you come back to our house real quick?”
“All right.”
Cassidy went to turn, but Tayler stopped her and took David in her arms to help lighten her friend’s load. They both carried a boy and walked briskly back to the Brennan home.
As soon as they entered the warm home, Cassidy plunked the boys on the floor with some toys and motioned to the small table in the kitchen. “Have a seat.”
Tayler sat down and the chill in her bones from the rain made her feel numb. “Please. Tell me what’s going on.”
“It’s Thomas.”
“Oh no! Is he hurt? Where is he?” She jumped to her feet.
Cassidy grabbed her hands. “No. No . . . good heavens, your hands are like ice.” She went to the stove and put the kettle on. “Last night, Allan came home and shared with me some horrible news. It appears that young socialite—Esmerelda—has accused Thomas of . . . well, of . . . inappropriate behavior and believes that she is now in the family way.”
Not sure what she’d been expecting to hear, Tayler was at a loss for words. “But . . .” was all she could manage.
Cassidy went on. “She said they’d been sneaking out at night to take walks together.”
The information sank into Tayler’s brain. She’d seen Thomas go off by himself many times. No, no, no! her brain screamed. Everything swirled around her. Thomas walking down the path. His smile. Esmerelda’s constant attention to him.
Then images of Emerson professing his love to Tayler, warring with Thomas, and Thomas taking other girls into his arms. Pretty soon it all meshed into one big cacophony of sound and images in her mind.
Tayler gripped the sides of her head with both hands. No. This couldn’t be. Not Thomas.
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